Nude per l'assassino (1975) A Noir Giallo

Directed by Andrea Bianchi (co director of What the Peeper Saw).  

Written by Andrea Bianchi (story) and Massimo Felisatti (screenplay). Cinematography was by Franco Delli Colli (Rocco and His Brothers, director of photography second unit, Duck You Sucker, The Last Man on Earth) and Music by Berto Pisano.

The film stars Edwige Fenech as Magda Cortis, Nino Castelnuovo (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The English Patient) as Carlo Gunther, Femi Benussi as Lucia Cerezer a model, Solvi Stubing as Patrizia a model, Amanda as Gisella Mayer the studio owner, Franco Diogene as Maurizio Pozzani Amanda's husband, Lucio Como as the Police Detective - Commissioner, Erna Schurer as Doris, Claudio Pellegrini as Mario Ferreri, and Gianni Airò as Dr. Giulio De Castelli.

The slightly ridiculous, original English title was Strip Nude For Yor Killer, which of course never happens in the film. And what the fuck kind of cockamamie title is that? Would you pay money to see a Noir titled Strip Nude For Yor Killer, sounds like a grindhouse filler, lol. But this is what happens when you get what you pay for trying to save money. Naked Killer is more like it. There rebranded for free, thank me later. 

 Nino Castelnuovo as Carlo Gunther

Edwige Fenech as Magda Cortis

Femi Benussi as Lucia Cerezer

Solvi Stubing as Patrizia 

Franco Diogene as Maurizio Pozzani

Amanda as Gisella Mayer

The opening sequence.

We start out with an abortion disaster. A woman, Evelyn, in the stirrups suffers a massive coronary. 

The doc, Giulio De Castelli makes a phone call to Carlo telling him Evelyn's had it. Dead. He tells Carlo to get over here.  

They are going to take her home. They put her naked in a tub and leave the water running. It will look like natural death. 

The title sequence is a drive through Milan at night. 

Back in 2000 we made a trip to Italy. We flew into Milan and had reservations to fly back out about two weeks later. We found out the hard way that there were two international airports in Milan. Malpensa and Milan - Bergamo. We landed at one and were scheduled we though for a 6AM flight out of the same one. We figured it out after we already got a hotel for the night and had to arrange for a taxi to drive us all the way across the city at a rainy 4AM to get us to the correct airport. I wish I had a movie camera for the trip it was amazingly quite Noirish with pools of light in deserted trolley track and cobblestone littered streets, passing dark industrial nocturnes, punctuated with beacons announcing the  open all night dives. 

The driving sequence in the film ends with a shot of the Doctor pulling up and parking near a dark apartment building. In the background we see a second car stop and its headlights go off. 

As Giulio De Castelli walks up to his doorway he is brutally stabbed to death by someone wearing a vinal motorcycle suit and helmet, we see the attacker make cutting motions. 

One of his appendages (guess which one?) is removed and in a brief flash we see a splatter of skin pink and blood red on the concrete. You know now that you are in Giallo territory, lol. 

Signature Giallo

Cut to the photographer Carlo Gunther recruiting a new model Lucia he spots at a pool for the fashion photography business. She plays hard to get until Carlo tells her he can get her into the modeling business.

Carlo and Lucia, as per Carlo's usual M.O., Carlo helps Lucia out of her bikini and he takes a few shots before they get it on in a sauna. It's part of his interview process. It's also an excuse for a little exploitation.

Finished, he brings Magda to the Albatross Photo Model studio and he introduces her to the crew. We also quickly are made hip to the sexual politics of the workplace.

We meet Gisella Mayer the bisexual studio owner who eye's Magda, and Maurizio Pozzani Amanda's pudgy "husband" who is putting the moves on Patrizia a blonde model. Santo, a makeup artist. Magda Cortis the art director and a photographer who has the hots for Carlo, and Mario Ferreri another photographer who looks gay. 

Claudio Pellegrini as Mario Ferreri

We cut into various relationships. Maurizio and Patrizia are at a club watching a two women strip routine. Patrizia pulls Maurizio away telling him she wants to go. 

Carlo is working in the photo lab when a jealous Magda shows up wearing just a robe with nothing on underneath but a garter belt panties and stockings. 

She says to Carlo "how about using me as a model?"  She kisses him and then slides down to her knees. We cut to a reaction shot of Carlo with a beatific expression, implying that she's going down on him. 

Later that night we see Mario go into the studio after hours. He hoes to the photo lab and goes through a file to find the image he's looking for. Its a shot of all the personnel of the Albatross Studio. 

He makes a copy and splits. Mario, back at his place, gets a knock on his door. He obviously knows and was expecting the caller because we find out that the caller requested the image. 

Mario offers the caller a drink and hands over the photo. Unfortunately for Mario the visitor is wearing the motorcycle outfit. Mario is found the next morning by Patrizia laying face down in a pool of blood with his wiener cut off.

We cut to the Police Detectives questioning Amanda, Patrizia, and Magda about Mario's character, whether he was gay, and events before the murder. At the end of the session the Detective asks them if anybody knows a Giulio De Castelli. He gets a negative, and tells the women that he was murdered in a similar manner about a month ago. 

Lucio Como as the Police Detective - Commissioner

We next see Gisella unwinding with Magda in a bedroom. They've just had sex. Gisella is a bit of an abusive and possessive she slaps Magda, questions her about Carlo and orders her to not leave the house. 

Providing the "nude' in Nude per l'assassino is 

Gisella gets dressed to go to a dinner party and leaves Magda alone in a darkened house. Cue the heavy breathing and the sound of a vibrating board a sound that's the leitmotif of the murderer. 

Magda hears suspicious noises and the sound of running water in the kitchen. She at first thinks that Gisella has returned and goes to investigate calling out her name. Then she hears water running in the bathroom and there, gets stabbed to death. 

The morning after Magda and Carlo engage in small talk over coffee at Magda's apartment. A headline in the paper with pictures is about the body of Lucia found in the trunk of a car. Magda studies the photos in the paper. An erring that was found clutched in Lucia's hand looks familiar. Magda exclaims to Carlo didn't you just bring her to the studio. Carlo gets upset and puts his hands around Magda's neck, mock strangling her, telling her to shut up and that he doesn't want be be involved. He lies and tells her he just met her outside the agency, that's all. Is he lying to cover up his quickie with Lucia, or does he have other reasons?

The Detective, of course, is back questioning at the agency since this is the second murder of a person involved with Albatross. When Carlo is questioned as to why the doorman saw him come in with Lucia when he claims that he didn't know her before, Carlo tells him he saw her out side and assumed she wanted to model so he brought her up. 

When the Detective questions Gisella she tells him she just met her the other day. When the detective shows her the earing Gisella says that she never saw it before. 

She also tells the detective that she though Mario knew her. That's convenient, Mario is cooling in the morgue. After the detective leaves, Carlo and Gisella confront each other about the lies they told the detective. It's a stalemate. 

We next see Maurizio offering a ride to Doris another model walking near the agency. He gets her in the car then takes off telling her he's got to show her something. 

He takes her to the house he offers her money for sex. Doris after some protesting agrees. But he can't make it with a real woman. 

Doris leaves and Maurizio pulls out a blowup doll mumbling that he can only make it with "her." Of course he hears water running and ends up dead.

Back at her home, Magda is doing her best Nancy Drew, she's at the photo lab searching for a photo. She picks out the group photo of the Albatross personnel. The phone rings Magda hears someone coming. She stuffs the photo in her top and ducks behind a closet door. Gisella comes into the lab and answers. It a blackmail call. He'll tell all he knows about Gisella's predilections to a newspaper if she doesn't fork over ten million lira. He wants her meet at a drop off location on Via Mosalla under the overpass. 

Overhearing the blackmail call

Bring the money to the underpass on Via Mosalla

Later Magda is laying on her bed studying, with a magnifying glass, the group photo she took from the lab of Gisella wearing a snowflake earing against the crime photos of Lucia and the snowflake earing that was clutched in her hand. She compares them closely and knows Gisella is wearing the same earing. Magda shows Carlo the photos of the earrings, and tells Carlo about the blackmail call. 

It all goes Noirsville when Carlo is waiting at the drop spot with his camera and captures the blackmailer and inadvertently the murder of Gisella who was killed by someone else. Then Carlo is subsequently almost killed in a hit and run.

Noirsville 

I'm not a any kind of fan of the Giallo. If you see one Giallo you just about see them all. Usually they're too bright, the set is one of the "producers" convenient villas or a palazzo for rent, and the shock use of in your face "red," blood red. You'll know what I mean if you have seen them. Usually too gimmicky trying to Avant Guard the last Giallo hit. Too slasher, not that there's anything wrong with that if you're into it.. 

Some of the early Giallo's in B&W and also the early color definitely "tune" Noir. A good illustration of these are The Girl Who Knew Too Much and The Bird With The Crystal Plumage. This one just tips enough Noir to be interesting plus it's got a healthy dose of sexploitation and it's all beautifully shot. 

Star Edwige Fenech began her show-business career as a participant in beauty contests (she won at 16 the title of "Miss Mannequin de la Cote d'Azur." She became a star of Italian Giallo and Sex Comedies.

Nino Castelnuovo is convincing as the photographer, though with the whole film being dubbed we are not going to get the most out of his performance as would a native Italian speaker. Ditto for the whole cast. 

The majority of sexploitation is mostly provided by Eufemia "Femi" Benussi an Italian Croatian. Benussi was born in Rovigno, now  Rovinj about 45 miles from  Apsoros (Ancient Greek: Ἄψωρος) BTW, my fathers hometown, it was between WWI and WWII then Italy, now Osor, and both are now in Croatia. Femi debuted on stage at the Teatro del Popolo of Rijeka. Her film debut at 19 in Roma was in The Bloody Pit Of Horror aka Il boia scarlatto, in the seventies she became a star in Italian Sex Comedies known as the commedia sexy all'italiana.

The average aficio-Noir-do or Noir-ista might want to seek in out, especially if you key on the Visuals, and the Style,  the cinematography is great. If you stumble upon it in the right mood it will keep you definitely watching. 6-6.5/10.